In mid-January, Steak ’n Shake announced that all of its restaurants would switch to cooking their french fries with beef tallow.
Executives said the move would make for tastier fries. It also aligned Steak ’n Shake with President Donald Trump’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made replacing seed oils a key plank of his plans to overhaul America’s food industry. Conservatives hailed Steak ’n Shake’s decision as a win for Trump’s controversial Cabinet pick.
“We RFK’ed our fries,” Steak ’n Shake COO Dan Edwards said in a February Fox News interview.
Now, Steak ’n Shake’s X account posts images of Tesla-themed storefronts on Mars and slogans like “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again” printed on MAGA-esque red hats. The account reposted endorsements from conservative firebrands like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Laura Loomer, who snapped a picture of herself dining at the establishment.
Marketing researchers said Steak ’n Shake is the latest example of brands targeting increasingly polarized consumers across the country. Some questioned the suddenness of Steak ’n Shake’s pivot and whether, in a time where other brands seen affiliating with Trump or his policies have faced boycotts and violence, the publicity would beget sales or backlash.
“This really feels like a Hail Mary,” said Marcus Collins, a former marketing professional and a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan.
Caption from article by Daniel Wu.
48 Comments
In my director’s extended cut, Joey says “BEEF TALLOOOOW” at least five more times
is there an actual problem with replacing seed oils with beef tallow? this seems harmless if not
Seed oils are actually the real reason for obesity and heart attacks not red meat and butter.
I've never been more glad that my local stake n shake closed.
Kennedy is not crazy, I follow his recommendations of raw milk and not I have no alergias or lactose intolerance, depression and anxiety, even my hight blood pressure has become normal.
I did the experiment as i thought the man has a hack, but no, he was right!
Long live Kennedy!
I ate there 2 days ago and those fries and that burger I ate was amazing
Why is RFK standing like a Bigfoot photo?
Canadian beef tallow, hopefully.
Y’a know… one way we could make America healthy again, is by joining maybe… some sort of health organization that’s… oh idk… kinda worldwide….
Hey look I’m alienated! I’ll miss those fries
Loving the team-up….❤
I'm not surprised the chain whose only worthwhile item is their fries has had a few hard years..
Wow!! Great to know 🙂 Never ordering steak and shake again 😊
Wow good job missing the entire point
Neoliberals are disgusting. I am a liberal. When faced with facts we resort to identity politics. Seeds oils are bad. Heart disease was not s thing until we switched to crisco snd that other bullshit. Meanwhile, steak and shake is not usjng rela beef tallow either. Its all bullshit and its shameful
Ummm beef tallow is beef fat so how is it healthier? This is not a political issue, it’s just a fact.
Ahhh yes, the super health-conscious chain Steak n Shake
Getting mad at a restaurant for something as mundane and harmless as switching to beef tallow and hoping on the RFK Jr. meme makes liberals seem crazy to republicans. Trump won the popular vote, he got in fair and square, and the country is more divided than ever.
We get out of this together, when the Republican party does something harmless that it knows will piss Liberal off we as Liberals have a duty to not let it bother us. By not paying attention to stuff like this we become boring to antagonize and become more approachable. As a more approachable people we are more likely to get swing voters which is what we need to get on the road to recovery.
Save your energy and anger for the actually bad things MAGA is doing right now. Like destroying the Executive Branch, letting Elon Musk run the country, and betraying our allies.
It is an infuriating but true fact of life. When you are down you have to be significantly better than the people holding you down if you want average citizens to help you. If you ever show anger at something an average person doesn't think is a big deal (even if it is a big deal) they'll think you're overreacting and worse yet, probably think the big bully is in the right for holding you down.
What??? Things fried in Beef Tallow make me sick 🙁 i guess it will help me save money from not eating out
why is everyone defending the seed oils
I'm sure beef tallow will taste better idk why they think that's healthier
Imagine being so politically synergized that you literally ignore your own health and everyone.
I’m so disappointed in Steak n Shake
The beef tallow is going to be delicious. That's the way McDonald's used to cook their fries and now they use some sort of seasoning. There is something really special about using beef tallow or bacon grease to cook other things.
Your bias is showing
Beef Tallow is the best way to fry
The Steak and Shake at my college has like no customers anymore
I immediately thought of Amanda Bynes when I heard MAHA
Wait, so I shouldn't eat at a fast food place that has garbage food because of their stupid opinions? Can I just keep not eating there based on their terrible food instead?
Well nice to know i can't eat stake and shake or mcdonald fries
There demographic is the trump side, they’re not going to loose anyone and they will gain more conservative business
I honestly thought it was a dig at RFK
Okay. Like, this is really dumb, and seed oil is fine for fries.
But man beef tallow DOES taste great on fries man it's unhealthy as hell and it's a little gross if you think about it too long but it tastes GREAT.
i have two predictions, our health standards will either be worse than Chad, or worse than british india late 19th century to early 20th century
i was actually excited to live around a steak and shake after a few years of not but now they will not be getting my business i hope they have to close soon :/
What’s beef tallow
You leave brother bud out of this 😡
From the left. Beef tallow is better lol
Beef tallow is what MACCAS uses for their fries so it will taste good. “Healthier” tho? 😂
Cardiologists about to make lots of money!!!!
I haven’t really eaten at Steak N’ Shake since they served my friend raw chicken tenders. Like, obviously pink, salmonella central. So definitely wasn’t going back anytime soon, but now I’m just never gonna buy from them again.
Damn, Steak n Shake used to be a place my family ate at regularly but I haven't had them in years and didn't realize that this is the route the company went down
I won’t ever eat there again.
Hydrogenated oils are devil tho
Glad they're bringing back beef tallow as a mainstream ingredient. The closest taste I know about beef tallow is if I buy a cheap, but fatty cut of steak, then cook it
"Alienate half its customer base" From 12 to 6😢
Okay but like, seed oils have a concerning correlation with high rates of inflammation and cardiovascular issues. While I am not saying that the reds are right, I am also not going to just shit on a company moving away from bad foods because "the other team" is driving the change. Moving away from seed oils is a good thing. We should be glad that these changes are finally happening.
Steak n shake used to be super good like their cheese fries made you see god but then sold to some other corparation and cheapend everything and now its awful.